Battle of Hougoumont

The Battle of Hougoumont (18 June 1815) was the first phase of the Battle of Waterloo, the climactic battle of the Napoleonic Wars. The Earl of Uxbridge's British and German forces near the chateau at Hougoumont repulsed Count d'Erlon's ferocious attacks, but the French succeeded in weakening the British center and right by drawing more forces to the left.

Background
On 18 June 1815, 72,000 French troops under Emperor Napoleon I of France were engaged in battle with 68,000 British, Dutch, and German forces at the Battle of Waterloo. The battle was grand and consisted of many smaller battles, whose locations were chosen mainly by Napoleon, who needed to drive the British, Dutch, and Hanoverians back before 50,000 Prussian troops under General Gebhard von Blucher arrived to reinforce them.

Napoleon detailed his plans before the battle commenced, noting the fortifications of the British army. The British and Hanoverians held Chateau d'Hougoumont on the left flank; the poorly-equipped Dutch and Brunswickers held La Haye-Sainte in the center, and the British held Papelotte on the far right. Napoleon sent Marshal Emmanuel de Grouchy to hold off/defeat the Prussians before they could reinforce the British and German troops, but Grouchy tried Napoleon's patience - he had 33,000 troops that could be valuable to have in the battle.

Napoleon determined the Hougoumont would be his before nightfall. On that flank was Jean-Baptiste Drouet (Count D'Erlon) and his force of Old Guards, Fusiliers of Line, and two regiments of cavalry. They faced the Earl of Uxbridge's British troops and King's German Legion on that flank, and they had to advance uphill against an army that was fortified in their positions.

Battle
The French army was tortured by the British troops in the chateau itself, which was behind a grove of trees defended by Nassau Jagers. French cannon fire hit the trees and failed to hit the chateau, allowing the jaegers to inflict heavy losses on the French troops. The British and Hanoverians on the escarpment fired down on the French troops, who were fired on from both sides. D'Erlon's cavalry had no effect, as they were facing an enemy above them, and a charge would be costly; they also had to worry about the chevaux de frise constructed by the Allies on that position.

The British commander Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington was alerted to this threat and repositioned additional forces on his left flank to repulse D'Erlon's men. While D'Erlon faced these larger forces, Ney engaged the Dutch and Brunswickers in the center in the Battle of La Haye-Sainte. At the height of the battle, 12,000 British troops fought 14,000 French.

Earl Uxbridge himself led a cavalry charge with his brigade against D'Erlon, who fled the field after much of his command was killed. Uxbridge was wounded in the battle during the melee, and the British struggled. Ney's attack on La Haye-Sainte was unsuccessful, as he faced the same issue as D'Erlon did. Additional units meant to reinforce D'Erlon were dispatched to Ney, and eventually D'Erlon's forces were routed.

Napoleon himself took command of the French forces at Hougoumont and routed the British and German forces there, which were already battered. He won for then, but at the cost of his whole left flank. His army was too precious to risk in an attack on the British, whose right flank was made up of fresh troops that had seen several battles before. The British counterattacked in force against the French, driving the French right flank back and taking the French artillery. Napoleon's force at Hougoumont was soon overwhelmed, and he lost the battle of Waterloo.